Mining method.



T. DE ROODE.

MINING METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED nEc.29,191|.

T. DE R MINING M E' l APPLICATION FILED DEC.29. IQII- Patented May 15, I y o 5 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2.

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MINING METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.29. I9II.

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T. DE ROODE.

MINING METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29. I9II.

1,225,784, Patented May 15,1917.

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TRIMBLE DE ROODE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MINING METHOD.

Application filed December 29, 1911.

To all fic/wm t may conce/ra:

Be it known that I, TRIMBLE Dn Roonn, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining Methods, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, Y

My invention relates toI an improved method of mining which may be applied to either so-called Open cut mining, vor underground mining. The main object of my invention is to provide a simple, comparatively inexpensive and expeditious mining process. rThe particular method will be best understood by a reading of the following description and an examination of the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown in a series of views the apparatus used and the system and method practised. Tn a companion application, Serial No. 668,410 I have described more in detail the apparatus.

Tn the drawings,

Figure 1 is ahorizontal section illustrat ing conventionally the first step of my improved process.

Fig. 2 is a. vertical section of the same.

Figs. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 are horizontal sectional views of progressive steps.

Figs. 4, 6, v8, 10, 12 and 14 are vertical sectional views of Figs. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, respectively.

Fig. 15 is a relatively enlarged detail view, conventional in character, of the shield or bulkhead and some ot' the apparatus therein employed in carrying out my improved method.

Fig. 16 is a side elevation, partly in section of the same apparatus, certain parts being omitted, or not seen.

Fig. 17 is a plan view with the shield partly in section, on a horizontal plane.

Fig. 18 is a front elevation of the same apparatus partly in section.

Broadly speaking, my improved method comprises entering the material to be mined, when underground, through a lrelatively small bore and excavating a chamber there in to the proper extent to erect within said excavation the apparatus which is utilized to proceed from said point of erection. As the work advances the material acted upon Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Serial No. 668,411.

is separated and rened, the major portion of said material being restrained at the rear of the advancing apparatus, the remainder being conveyed back through a relatively small or primary passage to the point of beginning where it is disposed of in any desired manner. Broadly speaking, the apparatus comprises a movable shield or bulkhead 1 which furnishes a working space or chamber, within which the various parts of the apparatus are'housed and operated as the work progresses, and which also consti tutes a support for the side and top walls adjacent thereto. Tn practice the primary passage or manway is protected by a suitable casing or lining` 2, said lining being erected as the apparatus advances. The material restrained at the rear of the element 1 tends to force the shield ahead on its course. As shown in Fig. 3, 3 represents the restrained material. By preference the primary passage enters the rear of the bulkhead or shield substantially to one side of the center whereby a substantial advantage is gained, as will be now described. Assuming that a tract of material to be mined, is

limited by certain boundaries, it is obviousl that the course of the bulkhead or shield must be more or less tortuous to fully cover said tract. To that end, said bulkhead or shield must be of a suitable construction and form to enable the same to be turned bodily in its path of travel to any desired degree, depending upon the particular course. As shown in Fig. 7, the shield is shown as having been turned in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 5 to proceed in a direction, for example, parallel with its original course shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 9 illustrates another progression or advance of the shield and illustrates for the first time the advantage of placing the primary passage 2 well to one side of the center of said shield, for in said Fig. 9, a` lateral passage 4 is shown connecting the primary passage immediately to the rear of the shield with that part of the primary passage parallel thereto. By reason of forming the primary passage entrance to the shield well to one side of said shield. it is apparent that a much shorter lateral passage 4 is required to make this lateral connection than would be the case were the primary passage 2 located cen- .trally relatively to the shield.

ln Fig. 11 l have shown the shield 1 advanced to the end of its return course where it is shown as partially reversed as it proceeds on to the next parallel cut. ln said Fig. 11 l have also shown additional lateral connecting passages e /-l which correspond in purpose to the lateral passage l.

ln Fig. 13 l have shown the shield 1 on its course parallel to the first course shown in Figs. 3 and 5. 5 is a short passage which directly connects the primary passage 2 at one return bend with the outside. The description thus far is sufficient to make clear the course of the shield and the method in which a large tract of inateri2l is operated on through a relatively small primary passage.

In this character of mining it almost invariably occurs that the strata of material being worked upon lies on an incline or grade, and to that end Figs. :2, l, G, 8, 10, 12 and 14 are drawn to indicate such grade. Since inv this method of mining, water is commonly used for one or more purposes, for example, for conveying away excess material, it follows that the grade may be effectively utilized to carry oft' said water. To that end the aforesaid lateral passages 4l LLC-i may be employed for drainage when the shield is on its downhill course. lt is obvious that when the shield is working uphill, the decline of the grade at the rear is available for drainage. lVhen, however, the shield is moving against grade, or downhill, it follows that in the absence of lateral passages it would be dillicult to secure drainage. To that end, the lateral passages l-ll f are provided as short cuts to re-gain said grade. When the shield has proceeded to the position shown in Fig. 13, the course of the water may be back through the primary tunnel and through the lateral passage il, or, if desired, a direct short outlet vtunnel may be formed and utilized for the more direct discharge of the water, and so on.` .ln order to retain a proper grade for the primary tunnel While the shield is traveling against the grade, the primary tunnel, as it being, formed, is gradually elevated, as indicated at 6-6-"o, provision being made at the rear of the shield to allow this to be done.

While I have shown in the drawings what represents the earth above the shield or bulkhead 1, it is obvious that at places or through its course, the overhead covering of earth might be absent, in which event the shield acts solely as a bulkhead to take the pressure of the restrained material to the rear thereof, which, as before, is useful in forcing or tending to force, the shield ahead on its course; Wherever the element 1 is used in an open cut, as last referred to, it is obvious that the forming of the primary tunnel may be discontinued or may be a mere passage or ditch.

ln Figs. 15 to 18, l have shown, in a general way, and conventionally, such apparatus as may be employed in or about the shield 1 in carrying out my process. ln my aforesaid companion case l h "ve described more in detail the constructions employed, and, therefore, for the purpose of this case, l may refer only generally to the apparatus conventio-nally shown in said figures, which comprises a manually controllable power driven digging device 7; a separating device S for the material. excavated; a refining apparatus 9; a sluice 10; an adjustable tail piece 11 f-rom which the lining of the primary tunnel proceeds; a discharge pipe 1Q- for the restrained material, said pipe being arranged to conduct said restrained material to the rear of the bulkhead; an inlet or return pipe 13 for, the settled water to the rear of the bulkhead, a pipe lil for conveying the excavated material to the separator 8, a shield 15 to operate as a packing around the main shield 1; a plurality of movable lips 16; a power driven wheel 1T which may constitute one convenient means for advancing or aiding in the advance of the shield; hydraulic nozzles 18 are preferably employed for cutting the material adjacent to the advancing edge of the shield, all of which apparatus may be augmented as desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this method of mining is of particular utility when practised in `socalled anti-debris districts, although in a broad sense it is not limited to use in such districts.

F rom the foregoing it will be seen that in a broad sense my method contemplates forming a relatively large working chamber or space, excavating at one face thereof, rccovening the values from the excavatedA material and progressively restraining said excavated material to the rear of the working space relatively to the face being worked as the excavation proceeds so that as the wor-li progresses there will be constantly an adequate working space directly behind said face, the valueless or discarded material being to the rear of said space. Preferably, of course, and particularly where the mining is to be done under ground, there is a relatively small outlet passage provided through which a certain portion of the excavated waste material may be removed from the minebecause of the inadequacy of said space to hold all of the so-called loose material, the balance being disposed of as above outlined through the small passage. Again, in the most preferred form, said relatively small passage, or primary passage as it is referred to herein, follows the course of cavation and to the rear of the working chamber, although the particular course of said relatively small primary passage is not essential to the invention in its broadest sense.

By the term"vvalls as used, l intend to include either the top, rear or side Walls.

1What I claim is:

l. A method of mining comprising forming an opening in the material to be mined, providing means to prevent the collapse of the Walls thereof, excavating in front of said protecting means, advancing said protecting means in the line of excavation, transferring a portion of the material excavated to the rear of said protecting means as the latter is advanced, restrainidg said material to the rear of said protecting means for forming a protected passage to the rear of said protecting means, said protected passage extending through said restrained material, and transferring the balance of said excavated material through said protected passage to the rear.

A method of mining comprising forming an opening in the material to be mined, providing means to prevent the collapse of the Walls thereof, excavating in front of said protecting means, advancing said protecting means in the line of excavation, transferring a finer portion of the material excavated to the rear of said protecting means as the latter is advanced, restraining said material to the rear of said protecting means for formino` a protected passage to the rear said protecting means, said protected passage extending through said restrained material, and transferring a coarser portion of said excavated material through said protected passage to the rear.

3. A method of mining comprising forming an opening in the material to be mined, providing means to prevent the collapse of the Walls thereof, excavating in front of said protecting means, advancing said protecting means in the line of excavation, transferring a portion of the material excavated to the rear of said protecting means as the latter is advanced, restraining said material to the rear of said protecting means for forming a protected passage to the rear of said protecting means, said protected passage extending through said restrained niaterial, and transferring the balance of said excavated material through said protected passage to the rear, the restrained material being liner than the material transferred through said protected passage, said coarser material being transferred through said protected passage hydraulically.

1l. A method of mining comprising forming a bore in the material to be mined, ad-

f'ancing into said bore a protecting shield 'furnishing a Working space therein protected thereby, cutting away the material ll"o be mined in front of the edge of said shield by hydraulic means, excavating the material in front of said shield, construetin g behind said shield a protected outlet passage communicating With the interior of the shield but of less cross s-ectioi'lal arca than the cross sectional area of said shield, transferring to the space around said protected passage and at the rear of said shield a portion of the excavated material, advancing the shield as the excavation progresses and continuing to deposit to the rear of said shield and around said smaller protected passage a portion of the excavated material.

5. A method of mining comprising forniing a cut into the material to be mined and placing therein a movable bulkhead, excavating the material to be mined in front olf said bulkhead and transferring the exeavated material to the rear of said bulkhead and utilizing the pressure of said material at the rear thereof to advance said bulkhead.

6. A method of mining comprising forming a cut in the material to be excavated, placing therein a movable bulkhead, excavating in front of said bulkhead and transferring a part of said excavated inaterial to the rear of said bulkhead, advancing the latter as the excavation in front thereof proceeds, turning said bulkhead at one end of a course and advancing the same on a course substantially parallel to the lirsi and in the reverse direction While continuing to excavate in front thereof and depositing to the rear thereof, forming a protected outlet passage in the course of said bulkhead and forming a lateral connecting passage between substantially parallel parts of said protected passage.

7. .A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, and permanently partially relilling the bore in rear of said shield With excavated material.

S. A method of mining comprising pron gressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls of the bore from collapse, the excavating being accomplished in front of said shield, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, and permanently partially refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material.

9. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line-of excavation, and permanently partially refilling thc bore in rear of said shield With excavated material as the shield. is advanced.

l0. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to proizc space in front of said tect the Walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line ol excavation, partially refilling the bore in. rear of said shield With excavated material, and restraining the material to the rear of said shield.

11. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the walls of the bore fromcollapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, partially refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material, restraining` the material to the rear of said shield, and removing another portion of the excavated material from the bore.

12. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a here in a mass of'material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material, and forming a passageway through the deposited material at one side of the center of said bore and of less cross-sectional area than the bore.

13. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined,providing a shield to protect the walls of the bore from collapse, ad-

vancing said shield in the line of excavation,

refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material, forming a passageway through the deposited material of less crosssectional area than the bore, and continuously connecting` said passageway with the shield as the work advances.

14. A method of mining comprising` progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, and partially relilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material by causing a liquid current to transfer a portion of the excavated material to the bore immediately in rear of said shield.

15. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls of the bore from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, and partially refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material hy causing a liquid current to transfer a finer portion of the excavated material to the bore immediately in rear of said shield.

16. A method of mining comprising` progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the Walls thereof from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, partially refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material, forming a passageway through the deposited material of less cross-sectional area than the bore, and causing a liquid current to transfer a coarser portion of said excavated material through said passageway.

17. A method of mining comprising progressively forming a bore in a mass of material to be mined, providing a shield to protect the walls thereof from collapse, advancing said shield in the line of excavation, partially refilling the bore in rear of said shield with excavated material by causing a liquid current to transfer' a finer portion of the excavated material, forming a passageway through the deposited material of less cross-sectional area than the bore, and causing a liquid current to transfe a coarser portion of said excavated material through said passageway.

18. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to convey a portion of the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the working face and to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening and form a Working space between said deposited material. and the working face, progressively barring the return of any substantial amount of said deposited material to said Working space, and removing another portion of said excavated material from said opening.

19. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass te be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to corvey a portion of the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the working face and to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening and form a Working space between said deposited material and the working face, restraining the deposited material in said opening, progressively barring the return of any substantial amount of said deposited material to said Working space, and removing another portion of said excavated material from said opening.

20. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to convey a finer portion of the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the Working face and to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening and form a Working space between said deposited material and the working face, progressively barring the return of any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, and removing a coarser portion et said excavated material from said opening.

2l. [i method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material oi a mass to be mined, tiereby iormmg an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to ccnvey a portion oi the excavated material to a point in said opening' spaced from the working face, arresting said conveying current and thereby causing the deposit oi? said conveyed material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening `and form a working space between said deposited material and the working tace, progressively barring the return of any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, and removing' another' portion oiu said excavated material from said opening.

22. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current 'to convoy a portion oit the excavated material to a point in said opening' spaced from the working face, arresting said conveying current and 'thereby Causing the deposit of said conveyedv material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening and form a working space between said deposited material and the working face, progressively barring the return oi any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, returning the excess liquid conveyer to said working space, and removing another portion of said excavated material from said opening.

23. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to convey a portion of the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the working face and to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially relill said opening and form a working space between said deposited material and the working face and a passageway through said deposited material, progressively barring the return of any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, and removing another portion of said excavated material from said opening through said passageway.

24C. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating material oi a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a. liquid current to convey a portion oi' the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the Working face and .to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially refill said opening and form a working space between said deposited material and the working fac-e and a passageway through said deposited material, progressively barring the return oi any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, and causing a liquid current to remove another portion oi said excavated material from said opening through said passageway.

25. A. method oi mining, comprising progressively excavating material of a mass to be mined, thereby forming an opening in said mass, causing a liquid current to convey a portion of the excavated material to a point in said opening spaced from the working face and to progressively deposit said conveyed material in a manner to partially permanently refill said opening and form a working space between said deposited material and the working face, progressively barring the return oi any substantial amount of said deposited material to said working space, progressively supporting the walls of the working space from collapse, and removing another portion of said excavated material from said opening.

26. A method of mining, comprising advancing a shield in a bore or cut, alternately excavating in iront of said shield and transferring excavated material to the bore or cut in rear of said shield, and permanently restraining said transferred material in the bore or cut.

27. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating an opening in a mass of material to be mined, partitioning said opening transversely of the line of excavation, advancing the partitioning means in the line of excavation, and partially permanently refilling the opening in rear of said partitioning means.

28. A method of mining, comprising progressively excavating an opening in a mass of material to be mined, partitioning said opening transversely of the line of excavation, advancing the partitioning means in the line of excavation, partially permanently relling the opening in rear of said partitioning means, and restraining the deposited material in said opening.

TRMBLE DE ROODE.

Witnesses:

E. E. MORSE, L. S. JAMES.

Genies of this patent may be obtained for :five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

